Maintaining landscape connectivity is recognized as critical to protecting viable populations and ecosystems on the landscape. Yet, much of the science around connectivity considers landscape as static, ignoring changes in land use pressure, other stressors and climate change. The Lewison lab is editing a special issue of Land that focuses on landscape connectivity in dynamic systems. The special issue will present cutting edge science on case studies and challenges of dynamic connectivity,  best practices and lessons learned for researchers and practitioners,  an exploration of the role of stakeholder engagement, social networks and boundary-spanning organizations in successful dynamic connectivity planning, and approaches to support decision-making, prioritization and implementation of dynamic connectivity. 

To learn more about the special issue (due out in Summer 2020), click here

 A new academic year is upon us and with that comes new members joining the lab! To get to know our new Lewison Labmates a bit better we put together a quick Q&A.
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Nima Farchadi, Ph.D. Student

Dr. Isabel Rojas-Viada, Postdoctoral Researcher

Widely spread across the western United States, mule deer are the most hunted large mammal in California and serve as the primary prey source of mountain lions – making them an economically and ecologically important harvested species. Populations of harvested species face pressures from both natural predators and competitors as well direct pressures from human hunters, and mule deer are no exception. Wildlife managers must accordingly keep close tabs on deer population numbers to ensure that harvest intensity is sustainable and deer abundance remains relatively stable. However, over the last 30 years, the California mule deer population has exhibited a steady trend of decline. Due to these sustained reductions in California mule deer populations, interest in improving and implementing routine population abundance assessments has arisen for state wildlife managers and citizen-lead mule deer organizations. Therefore, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has partnered with scientists to develop and execute state-of-the-science deer abundance estimation techniques across the state and assess their effectiveness in various habitat types and landscapes.

Yesterday, over 200 people participated in San Diego's first Climate Summit at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The event, organized by the Climate Science Alliance - South Coast, featured a forthcoming report, "San Diego County Ecosystems: The Ecological Impacts of Climate Change on a Biodiversity Hotspot" that will be part of California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment. The day featured an overview presentation about the report, panel discussions with the ​authors, and the release of an Executive Summary of the report for managers, planners, and decision makers. The day was rounded out with workshops on communicating about climate science and a sunset reception overlooking the ocean.

Dr. Megan Jennings, lead author of the report, helped organize the event. Read more about it in this SDSU News Center article!

All photo credits: USFWS

To learn more about Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and ocelots in south Texas, try these helpful links:

Laguna Atascosa NWR Home Page      Laguna Atascosa NWR Facebook Page          Viva the Ocelot Facebook Page

​Bobcats are small carnivores that are widespread in the United States. Beyond a species of conservation interest in their own right, bobcats can also act as an indicator of functional connectivity. That is because bobcats need to disperse, have relatively large home ranges, utilize urban edge, and are resource selection generalists. If bobcat populations can move across a landscape, then it is possible that maybe other plant and animal species can too. If bobcats cannot move across the landscape, then it tells us that the landscape has barriers and is fragmented. 

Julia Smith, a Masters candidate in the Lewison lab, is using bobcat genetics to learn more about landscape connectivity. Julia is building a dataset that uses bobcat genetic data from throughout Southern California, in collaboration with the National Park Service, the United States Geological Survey, Colorado State University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. By running microsatellites, a type of genetic marker, Julia will be able to see if there are any differences in bobcat dispersal through a gradient of urbanization in Coastal Southern California. ​

Tracy Grimes

​Many early career scientists think about how their research may affect policy decisions, but the process oftentimes remains mysterious. Every other summer the Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) hosts a two week long Ocean Policy Course with Monterey Area Research Institutions’ Network for Education (MARINE) for early career professionals that are passionate about solving ocean problems. The course consisted of students and professionals from across the country with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The composition of students immersed us in real-life collaborative situations. From role-playing scenarios, to writing public comment letters, we actively engaged with one another and built a community of future ocean leaders. Here is a video on the differing student perspectives about the course:

We began the course learning about the structure of ocean governance and several relevant laws including the Endangered Species Act, National Marine Sanctuary Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act. This gave us an understanding of the intricacies of laws and how they are created. The course moved on to explain what role our research may play in informing decisions and about the different processes involved in ocean policy. Oftentimes science is used to identify a problem and evaluate solutions in ocean policy processes, but this varies greatly depending on the specific process used to manage the issue you are addressing and the level of governance involved (i.e. international, national, state, regional, or local). If you are interested in dispersing your research results to policymakers, but don’t see yourself as an advocate, there are boundary organizations such as COS or COMPASS that focus on delivering science to decision makers.
 
Our last week focused on stakeholder engagement and communication. Stakeholder engagement is critical for identifying and incorporating perspectives from individuals or groups that may be affected by policy changes. Communication is a core component to public and stakeholder engagement and we had practice at this through various roleplaying, networking, and outreach activities throughout the course. I felt very honored to participate in the course and spend two weeks with such a fantastic group individuals!
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In the digital age, who says all conferences have to be in-person? In April, a committee of joint seabird researchers and Twitter users held the third-annual World Seabird Twitter Conference #WSTC3. The format is simple: each presenter has six tweets (140 characters each) to present their latest research during an assigned 15-minute span. Participants can attach fieldwork photos of study species, figures, animated GIFs, videos of data collection, or even make their own graphic novel. Beyond the social media formatting, the conference structure is similar to that of traditional conferences. This year, the committee added plenaries -- invited speakers who have 12 tweets in 30 minutes to present their work -- and a live chat via Google hangouts to discuss the plenary topics afterwards. Viewers can also easily ask questions or get in touch with the presenters by replying to their tweet presentation -- a great opportunity to get in touch with that researcher who's work you admire, or get idea for new projects.